Imagine you come into work today, just another day. But today is different. You say something to a co-worker. He takes offense. You say something back. And next thing you know . . .

He punches you in the face. You are out cold. He breaks two bones in your face. You have a concussion and will be out of work for at least six weeks, maybe longer.

And what happens to your co-worker? Arrested? Fired? Nope. Management "suspends" him without pay for two weeks, but he is still allowed on the premises and continues to interact with everyone else. Worse yet, when you express hesitation to return to work—because you will have to work closely with the person who broke your face—you are told to suck it up and be a team player.

Sounds crazy, right? Well what you call crazy, I call Chicago Bulls management. Or mismanagement.

On Oct. 17, two days before their first game, Bulls players Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic—two large men close to 7 feet tall—were having a heated practice. Published reports indicate there was trash talking and some pushing. Mirotic may have even been the "aggressor." Then Portis decked Mirotic.

Bulls management called it all an "altercation." But let's be clear: An altercation is when a stranger yells at you over a parking spot. Punching a teammate in the face, causing facial fractures and a concussion—that is not an altercation. That is an assault. That is criminal.

Photo

Wikimedia Commons

Nikola Mirotic

Sure, I know, sports are different. It is a physical, aggressive workplace. But it is not the only one. Construction sites are physical and aggressive. So, too, are Navy SEAL teams. And oil fields. Even so, try decking someone at one of these jobs and putting him in the hospital. In just about any other workplace, Portis would have been fired. No excuses. And make no mistake, the Chicago Bulls is also a workplace. Practice is a workplace. A highly paid workplace, but still a workplace.

Perhaps the worst part is how this is being covered. It's as if the Bulls—and media by extension—are trying to subtly shame Mirotic. You know, when is the big baby going to come back, or at least talk to Portis— Heck, wasn't he the aggressor with his trash talk? Please. It is insulting and enables a dangerous narrative. And it rescues the Bulls, a crap team going nowhere with or without Mirotic and Portis.

Mirotic's "stance" is utterly defensible, if not mature. He is effectively saying: "People, are you serious? You really expect me to come back and be this guy's teammate? No way."

If you are looking for an excuse for Portis, he is a young man of 22 who acted in the heat of the moment. But Bulls' management, who are gray-haired and have the benefit of reflection, have no excuse for their cowardice. And if Mirotic really was equally at fault, then discipline him, too.

The Bulls dropped the ball here. They should have suspended Portis at least as long as Mirotic will be out. Then, when the suspension ended, they should have benched him. Better yet, street clothes. And then trade him. Doesn't matter what they got back. Maybe even waive him. Portis could and would still play in the NBA. Just not on the Bulls.

That would be the proper statement for a team to send, namely: We don't tolerate this. Ever. That would reflect leadership. Not some ambiguous moral equivalence followed by a whisper campaign. Weak.